The COVID-19 pandemic, along with other factors such as climate change, limited agricultural resources, energy crises, population growth, and urbanization, has significantly threatened global food security. In response to these challenges, the development of sustainable technologies for growing nutritious crops in controlled environments has emerged as an important strategy for urban agriculture. This study was conducted at the Plant Tissue Culture Laboratory of the Philippine Rootcrops Research and Training Center (PRCRTC), located at the Visayas State University Main Campus, Baybay City, Leyte. The study was carried out to (1) assess the impact of different growing substrates on the growth and quality characteristics of lettuce microgreens and (2) identify the most suitable growing substrate that would generate the highest productivity and nutritional content in lettuce microgreens. The experimental design employed was a Complete Randomized Design (CRD), consisting of five treatments: T₁—soil; T₂—a Coco Fiber Mat; T₃—a jute fiber mat; T₄—Rockwool; and T₅—vermiculite.

This study highlights the advantages of using a soil substrate for growing lettuce microgreens. This substrate provided favorable conditions with regard to its nutrient availability, water retention, and organic matter content, resulting in greater shoot development and a higher dry weight, leaf size, and total yield. However, plants grown with vermiculite and the jute fiber mat demonstrated higher chlorophyll content, suggesting these treatments' potential for promoting enhanced photosynthetic capabilities.